When they heard the National Football League (NFL) was bringing an irresponsible security contractor to town, security officers who have raised standards in San Francisco by organizing their union with SEIU United Service Workers West (USWW) testified in front of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

“By associating with an irresponsible security company like SIS, the NFL could push back all the gains we have fought for over the past ten years,” said USWW member and security officer Mike Malley. “It’s frightening that protecting human lives should come down to the lowest bidder.”

Security Industry Specialists (SIS) is under investigation in California because of allegations that the company used unlicensed security at another large public event—the Academy Awards.

SIS has also settled complaints with the NLRB and Seattle’s Office of Civil Rights, regarding freedom to form a union and paid sick time.

“They called an entire staff meeting just to tell us not to hand out union pins,” said former SIS security officer Richard Bankston, who used to protect Amazon headquarters in Seattle.

According to the San Francisco Weekly, taxpayers are forking over $5.3 million to help throw what Supervisor Jane Kim called “a party for billionaires.” It’s time for the NFL to learn: public funds come with public responsibilities. That includes good jobs for security officers.